17th century Europe was witnessed one of the longest and most brutal wars in human history.

The conflict lasted for over a generation and was responsible for the deaths of up to half the population in some countries.

When it finally ended, it resulted in a new geopolitical order,

which for the most part still exists today.

Learn more about the 30 years war,

one of the bloodiest wars in world history,

on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily. Given how significant the 30 years war is to world history and how bloody it was,

it's surprising how little attention it receives and how little people know about it today.

The 30 years war began in the shadow of the Protestant Reformation.

After the Protestant Reformation began, Protestant communities began springing up all over the

Holy Roman Empire.

And if you remember back to my previous episodes, the Holy Roman Empire was really a collection of

smaller states led by various princes and dukes. Many of these regional rulers

converted to Protestantism which caused an enormous amount of strife within the empire.

To end this instability, Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, King of Spain, Duke of Austria, and Lord of the

Netherlands, signed the Peace of Augsburg in 1555.

The Peace of Augsburg said that each constituent state within the Holy Roman Empire

could choose between Catholicism and Lutheranism as their state religion,

but only those two options.

Likewise, people living in those states would have the freedom to migrate to a state which shared the religion if they so wished.

It created a patchwork of states with different religions, not to mention the various non-Luthen Protestant sects such as Calvinists and Anabaptists.

The peace of Augsburg didn't institute true freedom of religion, nor did it end all religious conflict, but it

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